Rail car tipplers and tippler installations

Abstract

A rail car tippler installation has an open-sided tippler with a rotatable structure (8) comprising a main longitudinal beam (16) mounted on end pivots (10, 18), said beam supporting a rail car platform (2) that substantially spans the distance between the end pivots. The main beam carries the weight of the rail car and platform during tipping and has pivot supports (30) for clamping beams (34) that are displaceably lockable to hold the rail car on the platform. The tipping axis is laterally offset from the platform in a manner that reduces the sweep radius of the tippler and the rise of the rail car during tipping. The installation includes a hopper (14) that is offset laterally oppositely to the tipping axis and has an entry opening that extends longitudinally as far as the end pivots.

I claim: 
     
       1. An open-sided rail car tippler comprising a tipping structure, rotary mounting means for said structure at opposite ends thereof defining a rotary tipping axis for the structure, a rail car platform disposed in said structure, rails on said platform for a rail car, means for rotating the structure on said mounting means for tipping the platform with a rail car on it including at least one drive transmission element and at least one drive means for engaging said element, and top clamping means carried by the structure for holding the rail car on the platform when tipped, the tipping structure comprising a main longitudinal beam extending in the direction of said tipping axis, and fixedly connected to said drive transmission element, pivot bearing means at opposite ends of said beam engaging said rotary mounting means, said main beam transmitting the weight of the structure and the rail car through said bearing means to the rotary mounting means, pivot means fixed to said main beam holding the top clamping means, said pivot means defining a pivoting axis for the top clamping means, said pivot means defining a pivoting axis for the top clamping means for displacing said clamping means towards the rail car platform to bring the clamping means into engagement with the rail car and being disposed above the tipping axis of the main beam rotary mounting means when the tippler is at rest. 
     
     
       2. A tippler according to claim 1, wherein said device means engaging said element applies to the main beam at one end a driving torque for tipping said structure. 
     
     
       3. A tippler according to claim 1, wherein the top clamping means comprise a cross-member extending longitudinally of the main beam and pivoted thereon through said pivot means defining the pivoting axis for the top clamping means, a plurality of carriers fixed to said cross-member, a respective top clamping beam for each said carrier, pivot mounting means between each said beam and its carrier defining a pivot axis for the beam parallel to said cross-member pivot axis. 
     
     
       4. A tippler according to claim 3, wherein said drive means includes at least one transversely projecting end plate secured to the main beam at an end region thereof and further including a locking means between said cross-member and said at least one end plate for fixing the top clamping means non-rotatably to the main beam when the clamping beams clamp a tipped rail car. 
     
     
       5. A tippler according to claim 3, wherein respective end plates are provided at opposite end regions of said main beam and the rail car platform has end portions that extend beyond said end plates. 
     
     
       6. An open-sided rail car tippler comprising a tipping structure, rotary mounting means for said structure at opposite ends thereof defining a rotary tipping axis, a rail car platform disposed in said structure and operating means for rotating the structure on said mounting means for tipping the platform with a rail car on it, said operating means being disposed at least partly above the level of the rail car platform, said tipping structure comprising a main beam extending between and supported on said rotary mounting means, and end members fixedly connected to and projecting transversely from opposite ends of said main beam lying within the span of said rotary mounting means, a plurality of top clamping beams carried by said main beam for holding the rail car on the platform when it is tipped, pivot connection means fixed on said main beam providing a common pivot for said top clamping beams on an axis parallel to and displaced from the tipping axis, and the rail car platform spanning essentially the distance between said rotary mounting means, said rotary tipping structure and said operating means above rail car platform level being contained within the length of the rail car platform. 
     
     
       7. An open-sided rail car tippler comprising a tipping structure including a main supporting beam, a rail car platform disposed in said structure, rails on said platform for a rail car, rotary mounting means for said beam at opposite ends thereof defining a longitudinal pivot axis for tipping discharge of a rail car on the platform, top clamping means displaceably mounted on said structure for engaging the top of the rail car to hold it on the platform when the structure is tipped, said tipping axis being disposed above the plane of the rails on the rail car platform and being laterally offset from the rail car platform whereby opposite lateral edges of the platform lie respectively nearer to and further from the tipping axis, said axis being located in a plane passing through the plane of said rails at the intersection of the latter plane with a vertical from a lateral edge of the platform further from the tipping axis, said plane containing the tipping axis subtending an angle from the horizontal less than 30°. 
     
     
       8. A tippler according to claim 7, wherein said angle is less than 25°. 
     
     
       9. A tippler according to claim 8, wherein said angle is less than 20°. 
     
     
       10. A rail car tippler installation comprising an open-sided rail car tippler structure including a main beam, a rail car platform disposed in said structure, pivot mountings at longitudinally opposite ends of said beam supporting said structure and defining a tipping axis laterally offset from said platform, end plates on said beam at opposite end regions of the rail car platform, top clamping means mounted in said structure for movement towards the platform to hold a tipped rail car on the platform, and cooperating locking means between said end plates and said clamping means for securing the clamping means in an operative holding position when the tippler is tipped, a hopper for receiving the contents of a tipped rail car on said platform, said hopper being disposed to the opposite side of said tipping axis to that of the rail car platform and an entry opening of said hopper overlapping said tippler structure end plates and extending longitudinally of the tippler as far as said pivot mountings. 
     
     
       11. A tippler installation according to claim 10, wherein foundations supporting the pivot mountings of the tippler overhang the entry opening of the hopper in the direction of the tipping axis. 
     
     
       12. A tippler installation according to claim 10, wherein two tipplers are disposed in tandem with a common tipping axis and respective drive means for the two tipplers are disposed at their mutually remote ends. 
     
     
       13. A pair of rail car tipplers according to claim 1, said tipplers being disposed in tandem with a common tipping axis and respective drive means for the two tipplers being disposed at their mutually remote ends.